Doing Global Online Action Research for Environmental Justice and Democracy

Abstract: ForumCiv is an international development organization working to create a just and sustainable world where all people have the power to effect change. Through this online action research, a novel method to engage with for Environmental Justice (EJ) was introduced to ForumCiv.   A first iteration of the novel online methodology known as the Environmental Rights Toolkit (ERT) was carried out.  As action research, this project is concerned with theory and practice, understanding and change. The aim is to produce knowledge informing ForumCiv how to unpack EJ. The online method embraces a participatory paradigm, which is rights-based and equipped with the content from the three pillars of environmental democracy. Throughout this action research, the connection between key aspects of environmental democracy and environmental justice was outlined.  The results indicate a connection between environmental democracy and environmental justice.  Environmental democracy facilitates EJ in its different forms. EJ can be perceived as distributive environmental justice, procedural environmental justice, and environmental justice as recognition. These different forms are highly interrelated, therefore acting for one supports the realization of the other. Similarly, the decline of one lead to the decline of the others.  Engaging with the access rights can serve to modify power dynamics in certain contexts facilitating the fulfilment of one or more aspects of EJ. The insights from this action research can be seen under two perspectives, theory, and practice. The practice is supported by theory. A novel practice was introduced to ForumCiv and at the same time, this practice comes together with  visions from EJ. To further mainstream EJ in the work of the organization it is necessary that some key areas further integrate the conceptualizations made.